Machine for making can-bodies.



PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903.

e. P. mam. MACHINE FOR MAKING GAN BODIES.

Arrmonmn mum nov. no, 1902.

13 SHEETS-SHEET 1- H0 MODEL.

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PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903.

a. P. LEIGER.- MACHINE FOR MAKING GAN BODIES.

APPLICATION PILEDIOV. 20. 1902.

13 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

K0 MODEL.

iii 4 Q M APPLIUATIOK FILED NOV. 20, 1902.

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' PATENTED'JUNE 23, 1903.

G. F. LEIGBR.

MACHINE FOR MAKING CAN BODIES.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV. 20, 1902.

13' SHEETS-SHEET 4.

N0 MODEL.

EBA/m PATEIITBD JUNE 23, 1903 G. P; LBIGBR. MACHINE FOR MAKING CAN BODIES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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No. 732,004. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903.

G. I. LEIGER.

MACHINE FOR MAKING CAN BODIES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1902.

N0 menu. 13 SHEETS-SHEET 7.

- 5: W86 M M/ Mo No. 732,004.- PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903. G. I. LEIGBR.

MACHINE FOR MAKING CAN BODIES.

APPLICATION rum NOV. 20. 1902.

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PATENTBD JUNE 23, 1903,. G. P.'LEIGER.

MAGHINE FOR MAKING CAN BODIES.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 20. 1902.

H0 MODEL. 146 -13 SHEETS-SHEET 9.

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:PATBNTED JUNE 23, 1903. GI Fl MAGHINE FOR. MAKING GA N BODIES. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1902. 30 MODEL. 13 SHEETS-SHEET 11.

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- G. F. LBIGBR.

MACHINE FOR MAKING CAN BODIES.

APPLICATION nmm NOV. 20,1902.

-20 v q? A 700 N0 MODEL. 13 SHEETS-SHEET 12 09 g -H E E /a H 110 W730 113 a l/o @A 'l 1m 7 PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903.

MACHINE FOR MAKING CAN BODIES UNITED I STATES Patented June 23, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

' GEORGE F. LEIGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOURTHS TO LEWIS BENEDIOT',OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR MAKING oAN soolss.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,004, dated June 23, 1903. Application filed November 20,1962. Serial No. 132,054. (No model.)

To all whmn it Wmy concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. LEIGER, a citizen of the United States of America, re-. siding at Chicago, in the county of Cook and; State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making Gan-Bodies, of which the'following is; a specification, reference being had to the ac companying drawings. My invention relates to machinery for form-; ing sheet-metal cylinders, and is primarily. designed for forming cylindrical can-bodies, my invention having particularly to do with various improvements on the machine shown I5 and described in Letters Patent No. 693,325, dated February 11, 1902, granted upon my application. By the means of said Letters Patent cylindrical can-bodies were formed bysuitable rolls, whereby the edges of the canbody were bent, interlocked, and then pressed together, so as to be very tightly held, and in that condition afterward delivered fro the machine for soldering.

Some of the leading objects of my present invention are to provide pneumatic means for automatically feeding the sheets of metal forward to the forming-rolls; to provide the roll upon which the sheet-metal cylinders are bent around with a chamber having a proper- 0 communication with a vacuum-chamber and also having one or more passages leading from the surface of the roll and adapted to be closely covered by the sheet metal in the' process of formation into a cylinder, whereby 5 such sheet metal during said process of formation will be assisted in being held closely to the roll; to provide means for snitablycutting off communication between such chamber in the roll and the main vacuum-cham- 0 her referred to whenever the passage leading from the surface of the forming-roll is uncovered between the time that a completed cylinder is pushed off from such roll and another sheet is fed' thereto; to provide means 5 for destroying the vacuum whenever a sheet ofmetal is. fed so improperly as not to cover the said opening through the surface of the forming-roll or for any reason does not cover such opening at all times when it should cover it during the operation of the machine and by reason of such destruction of the vacutheforming-roll after its edges have been interlocked, such means comprising a member having a rotary as well as a reciprocating movement, the rotary movement being for the purpose of allowing such member to turn with the rotation of the can-body on the forming-roll, thus avoiding any friction between such member and the end of the canbod-y, against which it abuts.

It is also the object of my invention to improve the machine as a whole, all as hereinafter fully described. That which I believe to be new will be pointed out in the various claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is '75 a plan view. Fig. 2 isarear elevation. Fig. 3 is an end elevation taken from the righthand side of the machine, as shown in Fig. 2, and showing the driving and. loose pulleys partly broken away. Fig. 4 is an end elevation taken from the opposite end of the machine to that shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is adetail of a portion of the means employed for removing a formed can-body from the roll on which it is formed. Fig. 6 is a detail of the pressure device that bears against the material of which the can-body is formed during the .process of formation of the can-body. Fig. 7 is a detail, being a plan View of the means for feeding the sheets of metal to the forming-rolls and showing also, partly in section, the means for removing or stripping a formed can-body from the formingroll. Fig. 8 is a detail, being an enlarged I view of a portion or the mechanism shown in Fig. 4:. Fig. 9 is a plan view of thetable on which are placed the sheets of material to be fed to the forming-rolls, the pneumatic feeding devices being omitted. Fig. 10 is a section at line 10 10 of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a section at line 11 ll of Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a detail, being a perspective view of the rotating and reciprocating ring forming a part of the mechanism for removing a formed can-body from tho forming-roll. Fig. 13 is a detail, being an enlarged vertical section through the forming-rolls and the devices for removing a formed can-body from the roll over which it is formed, showing also in eleva tion a portion of the cam attached to the end of the frame by means of which cam the tucking-blade in the upper roll is given the proper movement. Fig. 14 is a vertical section on line 14 of Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is an enlarged detail, partly in section, of the upper part of the machine, from the front thereof, and showing the arrangement of air-pipes and connections. Fig. 16 is a detail, being a vertical section through the forming and seam-pressing rolls and attached part-s. Fig. 17 is a section at line 17 of Fig. 15. Fig. 18 is a detail, being a vertical section through the pneumatic picker and devices employed .in lifting the same. Fig; 19 is a section taken on line 19 19 of Fig. 16 and looking, to the right; and Fig. 20 is a detail, being a plan view of a portion of the reciprocating mechanism that removes the can-body from the forming-roll, that portion of the supportingframework that is shown being in section.

Referring tosaid drawings, 20 indicates the main frame of the machine, upon or from which the operative parts are supported.

21 indicates a shaft extending across the machine and suitablyjournaled in the frame, upon one end of which shaft is keyed a driving-pulley 22, and adjacent thereto is mounted a loose pulley 23. Between the pulley 23 and the side of the framework is a series of gear-wheels through which the various operative parts of the machine aredriven, the gearwheel on the shaft 21 being indicated by 24 and meshing with a similar gear 25 above it on a shaft 26, which in turn meshes with another and larger gear-wheel, 27, on a shaft 28, which shaft 23 extends across the front of the machine above the frame 20. (See Fig. 15.) The gear 24 also meshes with a gear 28, located below it on the end of a short shaft 29, which gear 28 in turn meshes with a gear 30 on the end of a long shaft 31, the gears 28 and 30 being of a size to compel the rotation of the shaft 31 once for everytwo revolutions of the shaft 21, as explained in my said Patent No. 693,325. On the opposite end of the shaft 21 and a short distance from the frame 20is securely fastened a roll 32,having through it a series of radial openings 33, registering with similar openings in the shaft 21 and communicating with a longitudinal passage 34 in the center of the shaft 21, said passage an inclined slot 39 in the face of the roll 32 as the two rolls are rotated together. This slot 39 is formed in said roll 32 at an angle with a tangent to said roller, as fully described in my said former patent. As shown, (see Fig. 13,) said slot 39 is formed in a block that ismade separate from and suitably set into the surface of the roll 32, the curvature of the outer face of said block conforming to the curvature of the roll. The roll 32, as shown, is somewhat longer than the opposing roll 35, the outer ends of these two rolls being, as shown in Fig. 16, in the same vertical plane and the roll 35 being practically the same width as the width of the material fed between the rolls from which the can-body is to be formed. The rock-shaft 37 projects beyond the inner end of the roll 35 and is rigidly secured at its said projecting end to an arm 40, upon the free end of which arm 40 is mounted a roller 41, adapted to bear against the cam 42, secured to the frame 20 opposite the said roller 35, the cam 42 being secured by two screws 43 44, the latter one of which passes through a short slot 45, whereby the cam as a whole can be adjusted in order to so time the operation of the rolls as to produce perfect work in the forming of the interlocking joint.

46 indicates a block formed with the cam 40 and suitably placed to properly guide the roller 41, so as to compel the turning ofthe rock-shaft at the proper time to compel it to properly enter the inclined slot 39 in the roll 32.

Referring now to the mechanism whereby the can-body that has been formed on the lower roll 32 is removed therefrom, so as to have its interlocked edges suitably compressed to form a tight joint, 47 indicates a cross-head secured to the shaft 21, so as to slide freely thereon,'and having affixed thereto, at opposite sides, bars 48 43, each of which, as shown, pass through that portion of the framework near the forming-rolls, and have secured at their. forward ends a head 49, which partially encircles the forming-roll 32. 50 indicates a semicylindrical shell bolted or otherwise secu red to the head 49 and partially surrounding the said roll 32, and space being left between such shell and the surface of the roll 32 sufficient to accommodate the sheet metal from which the can body is to be formed. 51 indicates a ring fitting closely around the said roll 32 and lying in an annular recess 52, formed in the said head 49, as shown in Fig. 16, the ring being thus held so as to bemoved with the head 49 when the same is reciprocated back and forth on the roll 32.

The ring 51 is provided with one orenter correspondingly-shaped longitudinal grooves in the face of the roll 32, so that such ring is compelled to rotate with the rotation of such roll 32. It will therefore be seen that this ring has both a reciprocating motion with the non-rotating head 49 and a rotating movement with the roll 32. As best shown in Fig. 5, this ring 51 is materially narrowed for a short distance, which is for the purpose of allowing proper clearance for the arm 40, carried by the rock-shaft 37. The reciprocation of the cross-head 47 is accomplished by the action of a large cam-wheel 54, mounted on the shaft 31, which is engaged by the lower end of a downwardly-projecting arm 55,'secured to the center of such crosshead 47, which projects into a deep cam-slot in the face of said cam-wheel 54, the end of said downwardlyprojecting arm 55 being preferably provided with an antifrictionroller 56, which bears against the side walls of the slot in the face of the wheel 54. While the bars 48 48, attached to the cross-head 47, pass through and are guided by one side of the frame 20, yet to insure perfect smoothness in operation I have provided an additional guide consisting of two heavy plates 57 57, extending from one side to the other of the framework of the machine and at the rear side of the machine, which are spaced a distance apart, so as to leave a slot 58 between them, into which projects an arm 59, preferably formed integral with the crosshead 47.

It will be evident that as the cross-head is moved forward by the action of the cam-wheel 54 the head 49, which is attached to said cross-head by means of the two bars 48, will likewise be moved, and the partially-completed can-body on the roll 32 will be contacted by the outer edge of the ring 51 and the can-body pushed from such roll 32, the ring 51 of course traveling with the head 49 by reason of being locked to it, as heretofore explained; but as such ring 51 also turns with the roll 32, and consequently with the can-body thereon, there will be no friction between the edge of the can-body and the edge of the ring, which is highly desirable, as such construction eliminates any danger of the can-body being in any way twisted or distorted, as might possibly be the case if the pushing apparatus-that is to say, the ring 5l-were non-rotary while the can-body was rotating. While the ring 51 is materially narrower at one portion of its periphery, yet it will be seen that the cutting away of the ring in order to provide this narrow portion is not of sufficient extent to prevent the said ring from contacting with the edge of the canbody for the greater portion of the circumference of the can-bodys edge.

When the devices after removing or stripping the partially-completed can-body from the roll 32 are moved to their extreme outer limit, it will be noted (see Fig. 16) that the outer edge of the ring 51 projects slightly befrom the roll 32 passes upon another roll 60 of the same diameter as roll 32, which roll is secured in any suitable manner to the shaft 21 so as to turn therewith. Immediately above this roll 60 is suitably secured another roll 61 on the shaft 26, which roll 61 has secured to it a longitudinal bar 62, which may be termed a seam-presser, as it is so located as that when the rolls are rotated such bar 62 will be brought directly over the interlocked seam of the can-body that is then upon the roll 60 and bear with sufficient force, as fully set forth in my said Letters Patent, to press said interlocked seam. To properly support the shaft26, I provide an arm 63, suitably bolted to one side of the frame 20 and having its outer end bent downward, in which downward-bentend the outer end of the shaft 26 is suitably journaled. It is important to apply an upward-supporting pressure to the projecting end of the shaft 21, on which the rollers 32 and 60 are secured during the oper- 5 ation of pressing the interlocked seam of the can, and this is accomplished in the construction shown by providing a pivoted bell-crank lever 64, that is pivotally supported on a short shaft 66 at the lower end of a frame 65, that is preferably formed with the arm 63. In the short arm of this lever 64 is a contact device adapted to be swung up and pressed against a ring 66*, which fits over and is suitably held upon the projecting end of the shaft 21, the contact device in the construction shown being in the form of a heavy screw 67, which is screw-threaded into a suitable socket 68, formed on'the outer end of the short arm of the bell-crank lever, and thereby the contact device may be adjusted so as to regulate the amount of pressure to be applied to the under side of the said shaft 21. The bell-crank lever 64 is normally held back by a coiled spring 69, so that the contact device 67 is away from the end of the shaft 21; but at the proper period of time when the supporting pressure is required such contact device is forced up against the ring 66 by means of a cam-Wheel 70, secured to the shaft 31, against the face of which an antifriction-roller 71 at the lower end of the long arm of said bellcrank lever bears, the cam-wheel 70 being so shaped and its movements so timed, of course, as to raise the contact-piece 67 and force it against said shaft 2ljust as the seam-presser 62 is brought to bear on the interlocked seam of the can-body. The ring 66 is so attached to the shaft 21 that when contacted by the screw 67 it will remain stationary.

Referring now to the mechanism for automatically feeding pieces of sheet metal to the rolls to be formed into cylindrical bodies, it will be noted that the shaft '28 referred to is at. the front of the machine and is suitably journaled in bearings 72 73, which are secured, respectively, at opposite sides of the frame 20 and near the upper forward corners thereof. This shaft 28 is driven, as before explained, from the large gear-wheel 27, fastened upon one end of said shaft, which gearwheel is forward of and somewhat above the gear-wheel 25, with which it meshes. (See Fig. 15.) Projecting from one end of the bearing 73 is a rigid arm 74, which is supported by a brace 74. 75 is a short stubshaft secured in said arm, upon which is mounted immediately next to the inner face of said arm 74 a pinion 76, that meshes with a similar-sized pinion 77, mounted upon a short axle secured to the arm 74, which in turn meshes with another pinion 78, secured upon the shaft 28. Upon the projecting end of the stub-shaft 75 is mounted a gear-wheel 79, which meshes with another gear-wheel 80, that is suitably journaled on a short stubshaft passing through the arm 74, near the end thereof. This latter gear wheel meshes with a small pinion 81, securednear the outer end of a shaft 82.

81 indicates a table or support upon which .the sheet-metal plates of the required size are placed and from which they are successively picked up, as hereinafter described, to be fed forward into the cylinder-forming rolls heretofore referred to. The table is supported by a bracket 82, suitably bolted bracket 95, that rises alongside of the feedtable and is bolted or otherwise secured to the support 82. The shaft 87 does not revolve. Wrapped around the shaft 87 are two coiled springs 88, each having one end secured in a fixed collar 89 and having its other end secured in one of the heads, the action of such springs tending to normally hold the outer ends of the arms 85 downward. Each arm 85 has at its outer end a short journal passing through it, on which is loosely mounted a roller 90, these rollers being preferably roughened or milled on their surfaces and bearing against the roughened or milled roller 84. Between the two hubs 86 86 of the arms 85 is mounted on the shaft 87 a finger 91, extending in the opposite direction from the said arms 85 85 and which is capable of being adjusted on such shaft -so as to have its outer end moved farther from or closer to the surface of the feed-table. This finger is designed to have its outer end just far enough removed from the surface of the table to permit a single sheet of metal that is to be fed to the rolls to pass thereunder.

92 indicates a slide adapted to fit over and upon the horizontal portion of the angularshaped bracket and carrying a horizontal plate 93, that extends over the feed-table 81. This horizontal plate 93 extends through a slot 94 in said angular-shaped bracket 95, as clearly shown in Fig; 8. The slide 92 and its horizontal plate 93 are reciprocated through a bar 96, pivotally connected at one end to the outer face of the slide and eccentrically attached at the other end in the construction shown to the face of a cap 97, placed over the end of the shaft 28 and bolted thereto.

98 indicates a short section of metal pipe passing through and suitably secured in the horizontal plate 93, around which and movable thereon is a hollow stem 99, provided at its lower end with a hollow elastic cylinder '100, which in View of its function hereinafter described may be denominated a picker or picker-head. The upper end of the surrounding hollow stem 99 is provided with a head 101, which is adapted to be engaged by a fork 102 at the turned end of a rod 103, which passes through a suitable opening in the plate 93 and is supported at its upper portion by an eye formed in the turned end of a rod 104, which is secured to the horizontal plate 93.

105 indicates an easily-compressible coiled spring, which bears at one end against the plate 93 and at the other end against a collar 106, secured to the rod 103 and normally tends to hold such rod 103 in its raised position. Attached to the rod 103 by any suitable means-such, for example, as that shown in Fig. 18 and indicated by 107-is a pistonrod 108, to the lower end of which is secured an ordinary piston-head 109, that is movable within a small cylinder 110, that is suitably supported near the outer end of the horizontal plate 93.

111 indicates an elbow secured to the upper end of the pipe 98, to which is adapted to be secured a suitable'flexible hollow tube 112.

113 indicates an opening near thebottom of the cylinder, into which projects a metal tube 114, to which is adapted to be secured a flexible tube 115, similar to the flexible tube 112, before referred to. These flexible tubes 112 and 115 are connected at their opposite ends to short sections of pipe 116 117,

respectively, each of such short sections of pipe 116 117 communicating with a main airpipe 118, which is closed at one end, at which end is located a pressure-gage 119. (See Fig. 15.) The other end of this pipe leads to a suitable Vacuum-chamber, indicated by 119, (see Fig. 2,) and which desired place in the building where the machine is in use.

120 indicates a short shaft immediately in the rear of that portion of the main air-pipe 118, that carries the short vertical'sections of xco may be located at any -pipe 116 117, said short shaft 120 being mounted in bearings at the forward edge of a plate 121, that is bolted to the top of the cross-bar of the frame 20. To this short shaft are pivotally attached three levers, one at each end of the shaft and one in the center thereof, the end levers being numbered, respectively, 122 and 123 and the middle lever being indicated by 124. At the forward end of the lever 122 is carried an antifrictionroller 125, and at the forward end of the lever 123isa similar antifriction-roller 126, and at the forward end of the middle lever 124 is also an antifriction-roller, (indicated by 127,) each of these rollers being loosely mounted on short lateral axles journaled in the ends of the respective levers.

128, 129, and indicate cams keyed or otherwise firmly secured upon the shaft 28, against the faces of which cams the rollers 125, 126, and 127 respectively bear.

131 indicates a valve-casingin the pipe 117,

and 132 indicates a similar valve-casing in ings respectively project toward the rear of the machine valve-stems 133 and 134, the valve-stem 133 having fixedly secured to it a collar 135.

136 indicates a coiled spring secured around the valve-stem 133 and bearing at one end against the collar and at its other end against a nut at the end of the valve-casing. The valve-stem 134is similarly equipped, the collar thereon beingindicated by 137 and the coiled spring by 138.

139 indicates a short arm fixedly attached to the outer end of the valve-stem 133 and projecting at right angles therefrom, to which is attached a bar 140, that is pivotally connected at its inner end to one end of the lever 1.22. 141 is a similar arm connected to the outer end of the valve-stem 134 and extending at right angles thereto, to which is attached a bar 141, that is pivotally connected at its other end to one end of the lever 123.

It will be evident, from the foregoing, that upon the rotation of the shaft 28 the various cams thereon will rotate with such shaft, and through the action of the cams 128 and 129 the levers 122 and 123 will through their several connections act at regular intervals to open the valves in the casings 131 and 132, and owing to a vacuum being maintained in the main pipe 118 by reason of its connection with the vacuum-chamber, as stated, a vacuum will be from time to time temporarily established in the flexible pipes 112 and 115, and such vacuum will as regularly be broken in such flexible pipes by the turning of the said cams 128 and 129 to such positions as will compel the closing of the said valves, it being understood, of course, that the cams are shaped and the parts so timed as to create and destroy the vacuum in the flexible tubes at the proper times.

143 indicates an air-pipe made up of sections united by suitable elbows and other connections and having communication at one end through a suitable connection 144 with the passage 34 in the shaft 21, as shown. This pipe 143 extends up alongside of the pulley 22 and across and over the machine and down opposite that portion of the main pipe 118 that lies immediately above the upper surface of the frame 20, whereits end is connected to such pipe by a suitable union.

145 indicates a valve-casing in one portion of the pipe 143, in which is a suitable valve to which is attached a stem 146, said stem being connected through a link 147 with the rear end of the lever 124.

148 indicates a coiled spring attached at one end to the pipe 143 adjacent to the valvecasing 145 and attached at its otherend to an arm 149, projecting laterally from the valve-stem 146, the tendency of this spring being to normally hold the valve closed across the pipe 143.

150 indicates a downwardly-projecting nipple communicating with the interior of the pipe 143 and having communication at its lower end with asmall cylinder 151,which is secured to such nipple 150. Within this cylinder is a piston-head movable therein, to the lower side of which is attached a piston-rod 152, having clamped near its lower end a collar 153, between which collar and the lower end of the cylinder 151 is a coiled spring 154.

155 indicates an air-cylinder supported on a standard 156, extending up from the frame of the machine,around which standard passes a sleeve 157, that is bolted to the rear end of the cylinder, and through which cylinder passes a set-screw or belt 158, by which the cylinder is secured in place on the standard.

159 indicates a short section of pipe communicating at one end with the pipe 143 and communicating at its other end with the rear end of the cylinder 155.

160 indicates a valvecasing in which is located a valve adapted to cut oif communication between the pipe 143 and the cylinder 155, said valve being provided with adownwardly-extending stem 165, near the lower end of which is fixed a collar 161, between which and the lower end of the casing 160 is a coiled spring 162.;

163 indicates the upper member, and 164 the lower member, of a pair of toggle-levers suitably pivoted together, the upper end of the toggle-lever 163 being pivoted to the end of the valve-stem 165, and the lower end of the toggle-lever 164 being pivoted near the lower end of a bracket 166, that is secured in the construction shown to the rear end of the cylinder 1'55! and also to the rear side of the valve-casing 160.

167 indicates a bell-crank lever pivoted at 168 on the same pivot to which the lower end of the toggle-lever 164 is secured. The turned upper end of this bell-crank lever 167 comes opposite and is adapted to bear against the toggle-levers where they are pivoted together.

To the other end of the said bell-crank lever ton-rod 152.

171 indicates a valve-casing located in the construction shown in that portion of the main pipe 118 that lies immediately above the frame of the machine and extending from the front to the rear thereof, in which valve-casing is a valve adapted to, be moved across the pipe to cut off communication therefrom, said valve-casing being provided with a stem 172, to which stem is pivoted a handle-bar 173, having pivotal connection at its rear end with a rod 174, that is pivoted at its lower end through a projection 175 on the valve-casing. By means of this device the main pipe can be closed by hand at this point whenever it is desired to cut off all communication of the pipe 118 and pipes connected therewith from the action of the vacuum-chamber, to which, as before stated, this pipe 118 leads.

176 177 are braces secured to the frame of the machine and provided to assist in sup porting the pipe 143 in proper position above the frame of the machine.

178 indicates a piston-rod connected with a piston t-hat-fitsand moves within the cylinder 155, said piston-rod being guided in the upper end of a suitable support 179, attached to the frame of the machine at one end thereof. Beyond said support 177 and near the outer end of said piston-rod 178 are attached two arms 180, projecting out from a head 181, said devices 180 181 forming means for engaging a belt passing over either of the pulleys 22 23 and adapted upon the reciprocation of the rod 178 to shift such belt from one pulley to the other, accordingly as the machine is to be operated or stopped.

182 indicates a lever pivotally attached at 183 to the rear side of the frame of the machine and at its upper end pivotally attached to one end of a link 184, the other end of which link is pivotally connected with the rod 178.

185 indicates a brake carried by the lever 182 nearits lower end and adapted to be forced against the side of the cam-wheel 54 when the rod 178 is moved into the cylinder 155.

186 indicates a bell-crank lever pivotally attached at 187 to the frame of the machine below the feed-table 81 and havingits rear end provided with a roller 188, that runs upon the periphery of a cam 189, secured upon the shal't31 just outside of the frame 20. This roller 188 is held in engagement with the periphery of such cam by a coiled spring 190, secured to such bell-crank lever 186 and also to the frame of the machine. The opposite end of the bell-crank lever is provided with a forwardly -projecting plate 191, which, as shown in Fig. 11, is inclined backwardly and also, as shown in Fig. 10, downwardly.

192 indicates a rod, one end of which passes through and has a bearing in the support 82 of the framework, said rod being located below the feed-table 81 and near the right-hand edge thereof being bent up to lie close to such feed-table, as shown in Fig. 8, and being again bent and continued to near the inner end of the feed-table, where it is attached to a depending portion of a movable guide 193, that projects through a transverse slot 194 in such feed-table, said movable guide being held in grooves cut in the feed-table at each side of the slot 191, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 9. This movable guide 193 projects slightly above the surface of the feed-table. The guide proper, 193, consists of a block screwed or otherwise fastened to the face of a sliding plate 194?, and to this plate is attached a hollowstem 195, which projects beyond the edge of the table 81 and has passing through it-a screw-threaded shank 196, the end of which is adapted to contact with the end of the slot 194, thus forming a limit-stop for the guide as a whole. By means ofthis screw-threaded shank the amount of movement of the guide can be regulated, as required. 197 indicates another rod attached to the upper end of the bell-crank lever 186 and projecting toward the frontcof the machine beneath the feed-table 81 and attached at its forward end to the depending portion I of a guide that is adapted to reciprocate longitudinally of the table 81. Thislast-named guide is similar to the one heretofore described, and consists of a block 198, attached to a plate 199, that moves in suitable Ways in the sides of a slot 200, formed in the surface of the feed-table. This plate 199 is provided with a hollow stem 201, through which passes a screw-threaded shank 202, whose end is adapted to contact the end of the slot 200, and thereby provide a positive stop for the movement of the last-named guide.

203indicates an antifriction-roller pivotally attached to the rod 192, against which the inclined edge of the plate 191 is adapted to bear. 204 indicates a short shaft journaled atone end in the frame of the machine, projecting outward therefrom and having keyed to it one end of an arm 205, said arm 205 being provided on its lower end with an antifriction-roller 207, that bears against the edge of a disk 208, that is fixed upon the shaft 31 between the cams 70 and 189, such disk being provided with a semicircular notch 206, into which during every revolution of the said disk the antifriction-roller 207 is adapted to drop. 209 indicates a coiled spring secured at one end'to said'arm 205 and at its other end to the frame of the machine and acting to hold the antifriction-roller 207 constantly in contact with the disk 208. 210 indicates an arm fixedly secured to the outer end of said shaft 204 and provided at its outer end IIO with a contact-piece 211, which in the form v The outer end of this arm 210 projects toward the roll 60, and the contact-piece is adapted to be brought forcibly and quickly down upon the can-body on such roll, this being accomplished by the dropping of theantifrictionroller 207 into the notch 206, which causes the shaft 204 to turn sufliciently to carry down the short arm 210. The object of this construction is to insure the can -body being stopped, so that it will be delivered from such roll with its interlocked and pressed seam in proper position to be fed correctly to a soldering-machine, and thereby insure the solder being applied properly to the joint,-it being understood that, as hereinbefore suggested, I have found it practicable and advisable to use in connection with this invention an automatic can-soldering machine to which the can body is directly fed after having the seams interlocked and pressed, as herein described.

212 indicates a support attached at one side of the feed-table 81, near the outer end thereof, to the horizontally-turned end of which are loosely attached two rods 213 214, each of said rods having their outer ends downwardly turned. The rear rod 213 bears against the rear ends of the pile of sheet-metal blanks placed upon the table 81, as shown in Fig. 3, and the forward rod, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 8, extends past the corrugated roller 84, and such forward end is raised as a sheet of metal is passed over such corrugated roller and acts so as to cause the rear end of such sheet of metal to immediately drop upon the table in front of said corrugated roller after it has passed over such roller.

215 indicates a series of holes through the bed of the feeding-table, which are for the purpose of preventing the last sheet of the pile from sucking or sticking to the feedtable when it is attempted to be raised by the picker-head 100.

In addition to holding the sheet of metal on the roller 32 by suction through the openings 33 I provide an arm 216, which isformed with or rigidly attached to a bell-crank lever 217, that is pivotally attached at 218 to one side of the head 49. Said arm 216 lies parallel with the roll 32 and is held tightly against the can-body that is being formed thereon by a fiat spring 219, attached to the head 49 and bearing against a laterally-projecting pin 220 on the bell-crank lever 217.

221 indicates a bar secured at its inner end to the side of the frame 20, against the edge of which bar an antifriction-roller 221 bears, said antifriction-roller resting in a semicircular notch 222 during the time that the canbody is being formed on the roll 32, such notch in the bar 221 being of sufficient depth to allow the arm 216 to bear against the canbody being formed, and so compel the ma terial to be kept smoothly and closely to such roller. It is necessary, of course, that the pressure of this barbe removed when it is desired to force the can-body from such roll 2, and this is accomplished by the bell-crank lever 217 being moved with thehead 49, and as such movement takes place the antifriction-roller 221 passes out of its notch 222 and moves along the straight edge of the bar 221, and it will be evident that immediately upon the roller passing from the notch the arm 216 is lifted away from engagement with the canbody. The parts are so timed that after the can-body has been removed from this roll another sheet of metal will have been fed to the roll and partly in position thereon by the time that the antifrictionroller 221 is again forced into its notch 222 by the action of the spring 219. This bar 221 has pivoted at its forward end a lever 223, to the forward end of which is pivotally attached a rod 224, that passes through an opening in a clip 225 around the pipe 143. This rod 224 has its free end about opposite the connecting-joint of the toggle-levers 163 164 and is adapted to act upon such toggle-levers in the same manner as the bell-crank lever 167 in case a defectively constructed can body should be forced forward on the roll 60. The lower end of the lever 223. is inturned, so as to lie close enough to the said roll to permit a properly-made can to pass between it and such roll; but in case the seam of the can should not be properly formed, so as to allow the can-body to spread, this inturned end of the lever 223 would be contacted and the lever turned and through the rod 224 the toggle-levers 163 164 would be broken at their joint.

226 indicates a'pivoted lever, one'end of which is suitably attached to the rod 178, and by means of which lever the rod and its attached piston can be forced by hand back into the cylinder 155, thus shifting the driving-belt from the fast to the loose pulley.

When the machine is in operation, the shaft 28 at the front of the machine byits rotation sets in motion the train of gears through which the shaft 82, carrying the roughened or corrugated feed-roller 84, is driven, and at the same time the slide 92 will be reciprocated, carrying with it the picker-head and attached parts that are secured in or supported upon the horizontal plate 93. When such slide has about reached the limit of its motion toward the front of the machine, the cam 128 on said shaft 28 will act upon the lever 122, causing the valve in the casing 131 to be opened, thereby putting the flexible tube 115, that communicates with the cylinder 110, into communication with the main vacuum-pipe 118, the effect of which will be to instantly exhaust the air from such flexible tube and from such small cylinder 110, with the result that the pressure of the atmosphere on the upper side of the pistonhead 109 in such cylinder 110 will force such cylinder-head down,carrying with it,of course,

the attached rod 103, the comparatively light spring 105 around such rod 103 being compressed. Inasmuch as the telescopic 

